Brave New World
by lunaanna
Summary: Set on the new planet, Bellamy and Clarke find themselves feeling gratitude. Not on the planet that Eligius was mining, this is a random one.
1. Brave New World

Bellarke – Brave New World

The planet Monty found was more than they ever could have hoped for. Like Earth, it was mostly water, but the planet was still highly vegetated. When the last of human kind arrived, they were captivated by the lush greens and vibrant flowers that crowded the area they landed in. They quickly became acquainted with the people who lived there, who were able to speak to them via translators that were implanted into their spinal cords.

They were fairly humanoid, as they were bipedal and had faces, but they looked more reptilian, with shiny scales covering their bodies. The species was very peaceful, and listened with great interest to their story, and even showed sympathy for their lost planet, as silver tears traced down their leaders' cheeks. Jolinka, their main leader, embraced Bellamy and Clarke's hands and offered them a large piece of land for the humans to settle on, as well as supplies to help them get set up. There was a large abandoned city there, and it was perfect. Jolinka's tears were matched by Clarke's. Finally, peace. Finally, she could be better.

Bellamy and Echo hadn't gotten much time alone since everything happened back on Earth. It had been a flurry of action, and then over a hundred years of sleep. After Raven had organized a plan to get them landed on the planet, Jordan had asked them if they wanted to wake up anyone else before they woke everyone. Bellamy had declined, and he saw the reproach in Echo's eyes when she woke up and saw him. But there was no time to talk, no time for intimacy, as there was too much to do, too many people vying for his attention, too much grief.

When they were airlifted to the settlement they were given, Bellamy felt like the luckiest man alive. There was a small road with a stretch of small homes, typically concrete but they were painted varying colours of green to match the foliage. The people he loved most all took up there, with Jordan taking a hut for himself, Murphy and Emori moving into the house at the very end, Raven taking one house and her pilot moving in next door, and Clarke setting up in the house painted the brightest green with Maddie. The house next door to Clarke's was destined for himself and Echo, and he was overjoyed when he went in and saw that the bed was large and comfy, there were chairs set up, and even a kitchen to cook in. It was more than he had ever hoped for.

Bellamy turned at the door opening, smiling big at Echo as she stepped cautiously inside, looking around. His grin fell away at her first words, though.

"We need to move. We can't stay in this house. Maybe the next street over has an empty one."

"What? Why?"

"We're right next door to her. I don't trust her, Bellamy, and you shouldn't either. She helped us back there, but that doesn't change the fact that she left you to die in the pit."

Bellamy was speechless for a moment. "…Echo."

"Don't, Bellamy. I know you forgive easily where she's concerned, but fortunately for both of us, I don't have a blind spot in her shape."

His face burned as if she had slapped him. She was right, he did always forgive Clarke, for anything she did, because he knew her. He knew that she would do anything to protect the ones she loved, and that all her decisions had come down to that. But she always did the same for him.

"Echo, I trust her. I forgive her. She made a mistake when she did that, but I had just betrayed her. She was looking out for her daughter. You know me, and my judgment. If you trust me at all, please trust me on this," Bellamy said, looking at her pleadingly.

"I trust your judgment on most things," Echo said quietly, as she strode towards him quickly, the look in her eyes dark. "And believe me, I know what she means to you, otherwise I would have killed her the minute the doors on the ship closed on Earth."

Bellamy took a few steps back, startled. The very idea of Echo killing Clarke made him run cold, his skin prickling in goosebumps. "That's enough, Echo," he said, firmly, hoping she couldn't detect the faint tremor in his voice. "I love you. I'm with you, we are moving in here, so we can be close to our friends. We just lost Monty and Harper. Clarke is family to me, just like Spacekru is. I know that you didn't spend time with her, but the rest of us did. You know how it was for me on the Arc when we first went up. If you love me at all, you wouldn't even consider doing that to me, or, or the rest of us."

The room, which at first seemed so joyful, became stifling, and Bellamy needed to get out. He turned away and discovered the door at the back that led into a small garden. Once he got outside, he planted himself on the grass and took deep breaths, counting to ten. He had used this technique when things were still bad on the arc, and he would have panic attacks often. Monty had helped him learn it.

Thinking about Monty sent a new wave of grief through Bellamy. The tears streamed openly down his face as he sat and missed his friend, who had always seemed like the best of them all. Harper was a comforting presence, always kind but quick to make everyone laugh. Bellamy had his face buried in his hands when he heard clothing rustling from his right. He ripped his head up and looked over, but relaxed when he saw it was Maddie, who must have also just come into her back garden. A look of deep concern passed over her face, and she made her way through the grass to sit down next to him.

"Are you okay? You looked so happy when you were heading into your house."

"I'm okay, Maddie. Just thinking about Monty and Harper. I miss them. I wish you had gotten to know them too."

"Me too. Clarke used to tell me stories about them all the time. She's pretty upset too, but she doesn't want me to know."

"She probably just doesn't want you to worry," Bellamy offered, with a small grin.

"I know. She told me that she thinks that they were the luckiest out of all of you," Maddie said, quietly, glancing back to her house.

Confusion ran over Bellamy's face. "Luckiest? How did she figure that?"

"They were in love for almost their whole lives. They were happy, and happy just to be together and live in peace. They got to have a son and raise him somewhere that wasn't full of conflict. She said they were lucky that they both found each other to share that with. They grew old together and they have died, but now they are with Jasper again, and their families. And we will see them again."

Bellamy's tears ran fresh, and he reached out and put an arm around the little girl when he saw she had tears in her eyes, too. She whispered into his shirt, "Do you think we'll be able to have that? Peace?"

"I really do hope so."

Life settled in smoothly on Planet 2, as they had taken to calling it (the name was unpronounceable for their tongue). They began farming the land to help supplement the food that was being supplied by the Jolinka and her people. A council was formed, composed of Diyoza, Bellamy, Clarke, Abby, Indra, and Kane once he had recovered. Jolinka was able to provide healing medicine that worked at a rapid rate but made Abbey very nervous. Raven and Shaw also frequented the meetings, but they were often too busy working on new tech or learning how to use the new advanced equipment provided to be bothered with it.

Bellamy was struck by how familiar this all felt, back to when they had been preparing for a nuclear fallout. Almost all the same players, but vastly different stakes. Everyone seemed to take Monty's sacrifice to heart, even Diyoza, and they tried to be more tactful and calm in all their decisions. Diyoza had her baby girl, who she named Hope, and it felt like a curse had lifted when Clarke walked out of the delivery room with the baby to introduce her to Kane.

Echo had apologised to him that day, and they had moved into their little house. Bellamy had never lived a domestic life before, and at first, he found it odd, but he was getting used to it. Echo seemed to have a harder time adjusting, and at times he could find her pacing around the living room as if she was caged.

Clarke had become a regular fixture in his life again, and it was such a relief that finally landed in the same place it almost didn't feel real. Soon, they found themselves falling into their old habits, and at the rate this was going Bellamy was the happiest he had ever been.

That was, until he arrived home after dinner with the council one night to find Echo packing her things into a bag. "I'm sorry. I'm moving into Raven's."

"What's going on?"

"Bellamy." She paused with her bag on her shoulder and blade on her back and took a deep breath. "I love you very much, but I can't do this anymore. Back on the Arc you told me things wouldn't change when we got back to the ground, but we both know they have. It's not your fault. Everyone thought she was dead." With that, Echo gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then headed straight to the door.

Thankfully, things weren't awkward with his friends as he had worried they would be. Like any good family, they took change in stride and worked around it. Echo didn't seem to be taking the breakup very hard either, and for that Bellamy was grateful.

A couple weeks afterwards, they decided to have a campfire. They pulled up chairs and all crowded around, sticking their hands out for warmth.

Jordan was playing a card game with Maddie and Emori, which evidently called for lots of excited shouting. Bellamy was smiling at the familiarity he saw in Jordan's face when Clarke plopped down in the seat next to him.

"Do you think Earth would have been like this if humans hadn't fucked it up so badly?"

Bellamy chuckled. "Maybe"

"Do you think we're going to fuck this planet up?"

Bellamy followed her gaze to her daughter, who was miraculously able to still act like a child even when she was Heda. "No, Clarke. We won't. This is our second chance, and I will do anything to make sure we don't waste it."

Clarke offered him a small smile and reached over and squeezed his arm. She went to pull away, but Bellamy stopped her with his own. "There's been something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"I hope I'm not in trouble," she said, quirking her eyebrow.

"You're not," he smiled. He glanced around, and everyone seemed preoccupied. "Maddie told me something, back on Earth." Clarke's face immediately changed, from looking playful to almost shy. Bellamy squeezed her fingers reassuringly. "You radioed? Every day?"

Clarke looked down at their hands, seemingly unable to meet his eyes. "Yes. Every day for 2199 days."

The number astonished him. He knew six years was a long time, but to have it laid out like that really made it seem like a never-ending chasm.

"I'm so sorry, Clarke. We never thought to get the communications systems running. If I had known…" he trailed off, unable to say it.

"If you had known that I wasn't dead? Don't worry, I would have assumed I had died too. Almost did. When the five-year mark passed, I was worried. I thought maybe you guys didn't make it. But we're both here now." At that she finally looked up and smiled. "I don't know what Maddie told you about the messages, but I radioed _you_ , Bellamy. I needed you, to talk to you, even if you couldn't respond - I knew what you would say. You saved me, Bell. You always do."

Bellamy began shaking his head. "I missed you so much, I honestly didn't think I could get through it. But what you told me, back in the lab, that pulled me through. I couldn't let you make that sacrifice and then just give up."

Clarke flipped her hand around and entwined their fingers. "Murphy did tell me you pulled the 'Clarke didn't die for this!' card when he was acting out," she giggled.

Bellamy laughed too, giddy with happiness. Suddenly, Maddie was shouting for Clarke, saying she was tired and wanted Clarke to walk her back. When Clarke got up, Maddie called out, "Bellamy, will you tell me a story before bed?"

Once they got back to Clarke's house, Maddie hopped into bed and Bellamy and Clarke sat next to her. Clarke listened while Bellamy told a story about Monty and Harper and their algae. When Maddie was asleep, they shut her door and went back into the main living room. Bellamy looked around, surprised at the murals that were lining the walls. He recognized the dropship, the lake with the waterfall, the tower in Polis, Lincoln's tattoos, Jasper and Monty laughing, and then he saw his own face. He saw himself emerging from the rover's headlights, holding a mug in his hand. There he was looking up at her as he descended into the bunker on the rope. He's standing, staring out, waiting for his friends before they took off from Earth for the final time.

"I found some paints in the city on one of our food runs," Clarke said quietly. "Now that I finally have my own house, I figured I would decorate it however I want. And I want to remember."

"They're beautiful," Bellamy said, looking around, taking them all in. Still looking, he asked, "You know what you said to Maddie, about how Monty and Harper were the luckiest of us?"

Clarke hesitated, and she sounded unsure when she answered. "Yes."

"When Maddie was telling me that, about how they were lucky to have found someone who they would want to grow old with, have a family with and live in peace, I could only think of you." Clarke turned to look at him fully. "Clarke, they were lucky, but so am I. Beyond all odds, we've finally made it here. We aren't separated for some ridiculous reason, and we get to be here together, without the threat of imminent death above our heads." Clarke cracked a half smile. "I'm lucky, because I love you, and I've found the person who I want to grow old with. I spent six years of my life thinking you were dead, and it was agonizing. Back on the Arc, I would dream about this. I hated myself for never saying it to you back on Earth, but I think you knew. So, I don't want to waste anymore time here."

Clarke moved towards him, laying her hands on his chest. "I did know," she said thickly, her voice full of emotion. "I regretted it too. I still do. And you're right about something else. We _are_ lucky. I was always scared to tell people how I felt about them because it always felt like a death sentence. But not here. Here we get a fresh start, together. I love you too." With that she surged upwards, and when he lips met his Bellamy knew that finally, he had found bliss.


	2. That Has Such People In't

That Has Such People In't

Clarke and Bellamy don't say anything to their friends about their newfound relationship that night – it doesn't feel right to put a name on it, to talk about it as if it's only now just becoming a thing, and not something that's been brewing for the past seven years.

They stay in Clarke's house kissing for quite some time, but eventually they decide to head back to the fire. The mood is more solemn than when they left, without as much laughter. Clarke observes tears running down Emori's face as she looks a Jordan. At Clarke's concerned look, Jordan's set face breaks into a small smile.

"Don't worry, Clarke. I was just telling them a little about Mom and Dad."

Clarke strode up to him and sat next to him on the log, taking his hand firmly in hers, with Bellamy perching next to her. Monty had asked them to take care of his son, and they meant to.

Across the fire, Raven snorted. When she got questioning looks, she said, "Sorry, it's just the way you guys are sitting there, all protective." She gestured with both hands at Clarke and Bellamy, making it obvious by her graceless movements that much more moonshine had been consumed in their absence. "Back at the Dropship, everyone used to call you mom and dad when you weren't around. Finn hated it," she laughed.

"Oh god, that was a rough couple of months. I remember thinking 'this is going to be the worst time of my life, and then everything will get better.'" Clarke didn't mean for her statement to come out so sad, but it couldn't be helped. Jordan squeezed her hand, and then she added, "But I was right. It did get better, eventually."

Surprisingly, Murphy was the one who managed to break the mood. "Hey Blake, you remember when you hanged me? Thank god Princess cut me down."

"Well, you did hang me after that, so I think we can call it even." There's more laughter, and more stories about their early days on Earth.

"When I was there, on Earth, while you guys were up in space, I thought a lot about the Dropship. About the hundred of us, plus Bellamy and Raven." Everyone stays silent after Clarke's revelation. "There's so few of us left, now." Clarke accepts the moonshine that Jordan pours her and gulps it down. The tears that escape her eyes aren't just from the harshness of the drink. Bellamy puts a reassuring hand on her back, and Clarke is grateful for the warm presence, reminding her that at least some made it out.

"It wasn't your fault, Clarke. None of it," Raven says, her voice clear and sure. "I know I said some shit to you back there, we all did, when you were making tough decisions. They had to be made. You didn't create the circumstances, you just acted on them. I know you blame yourself still for Finn, after all these years, but I don't. He made his choices, and they were poor ones. I miss him so much it hurts, but that's not on you, Clarke. What is your fault is the fact that we are all still here at all."

Clarke turns her face into Bellamy's shoulder, trying to hide the raw emotion there. She is so, so thankful. She constantly fears peoples' resentments, blaming her for loved ones lost. Bellamy moves his hand up her back to stroke her hair.

"Mom and Dad talked about you all the time," Jordan says, quietly to her left. "There's a reason they asked me to wake the two of you up first. You two were the parental figures, even when the rest of the Arc came down," he smiles when Clarke lifts her head and wipes her eyes.

"I still chuckle when I think about what you said to your mom that one time when she was Chancellor," Bellamy says, grinning. "'You may be the Chancellor, but I'm in charge.'" Murphy let out a huge laugh. "Big talk coming from a seventeen-year-old girl."

"Hey, I'm pretty sure I had turned eighteen by that point," Clarke defended herself, beginning to feel the effects of the moonshine. She suddenly became very sleepy and wanted to get to bed. She turned her head and quietly said so only Bellamy could hear, "I'm sleepy, Bell. Will you help me get home? I don't think I'd make it back on my own," she blushed.

Bellamy nodded, then told the rest of the group that he was going to help Clarke get home. Everyone else started dispersing too, and Bellamy tried to help Clarke stand, but it was as if her legs were jelly. Sighing resignedly, Bellamy scooped her up with his arm under her legs and her arm swung around his shoulder. She immediately giggled and ducked her face into his shirt.

"Well, well, well, looking like a regular Prince Charming, Blake," Murphy called out. Bellamy ignored him and focused on getting Clarke the short distance home. It was becoming an increasingly difficult task, as drunk Clarke apparently equals an affectionate Clarke, and she kept stretching her head up to nip at his neck and jaw.

Finally, Bellamy got her back into her house and negotiated her into the bedroom she shares with Madi, making sure they didn't wake her up. He tugged her boots off and tucked her under the blankets. By this time, she was pretty much conked out, but she still reached up for a kiss. After he obliged, she mumbled something under her breath and began snoring in earnest. Bellamy stood there, overcome with happiness for a moment, and eventually made his way out of the house and started towards his own front door.

He was startled by the figure that emerged from around the side and began reaching for his gun that he forgot he no longer carried, but he relaxed when he saw it was Echo. They awkwardly stood at the front door of the house they had shared, unsure of what to do. Finally, Echo said, "Can we talk inside?"

Bellamy unlocked the door and let Echo in first, shutting the door behind him. He turned to find her looking at him with determination in her eyes. "I know you're with her, Bellamy." His eyes grew wide, but he didn't deny it. What was the point? Echo continued on, "I just want you to know that I will not make things difficult for you. I saw your happiness tonight, with her and Heda. That is what is most important to me."

Relief flooded through Bellamy, as the truth was that he had felt rather guilty at how things had ended between them. "Do you still not trust her?"

"I do not believe she would ever hurt you if that's what you mean. Unless it was absolutely necessary," she said. It wasn't what Bellamy had meant, but he didn't want to push it. "That's all I came to say. Goodnight, Bell," she said, and she squeezed his arm as she passed him on the way out.

The next morning, Bellamy went over to Clarke's and knocked lightly on the door. He figured he could help Clarke with breakfast, seeing as she was almost certainly nursing a bad headache. Madi answered, smiling brightly and letting him in. Clarke was nowhere in sight. At Bellamy's questioning gaze, Madi said, "Clarke's still in bed. She woke up last night and puked her guts out, so I figured she could use a little extra sleep. Maybe you should check on her – I'm not used to dealing with drunks."

Bellamy laughed and headed for their bedroom. Clarke was laying in bed with a glass of water on the nightside table, as well as a large bowl placed strategically next to the bed. She looked ragged, and her hair had been swept off her face, which looked clammy and pale. She had shucked her pants in the night and had one leg sticking out of the covers. Bellamy resisted the urge to tickle her and left her to get some rest. He went back to the kitchen and helped Madi prepare a large breakfast. They realised quickly that they had made way too much, so they invited Jordan to join them.

Clarke stumbled into the main room in her house and found them all sitting around her table, talking quietly and laughing. When he spotted her, Jordan waved her over to the empty chair. "We saved you some, it should still be warm."

She took her seat and ate slowly, not wanting a repeat of last night. Bellamy passed a couple of pills over too, and Clarke recognized them as headache medication. She swallowed them down eagerly. The conversation they had been having, which was apparently about some gossip they heard from Kane about Diyoza's crew, continued, and Clarke was happy to observe. Just happy to be there at all.

There was a large communal kitchen that Skykru often used to have dinner. It was what they were used to, after all. That night at dinner, Bellamy and Clarke announced to their table that they were together by simply holding hands on their way over. They had told Madi and Jordan earlier that afternoon, and neither of them seemed surprised, with Madi simply rolling her eyes and saying "Wow, I'm sure everyone will be shocked," but she hugged them both tightly.

When Murphy spotted their hands, his eyes grew wide with mischief. "Oh my god, guys, do you see what I'm seeing?" he said obnoxiously loud, pointing at them. "Are you guys finally boyfriend and girlfriend?" His tone was snarky, but his smile seemed genuine.

That gave both Bellamy and Clarke pause. Those terms didn't seem like enough to describe what they were to each other. They looked at each other and shrugged. "Sure, you can call it whatever you want," Bellamy said, taking his seat and digging into his dinner.

"Well, I for one am not at all surprised," Murphy looked smug. "In fact, I think some of you owe me money from when we placed bets before primfiya."

Clarke looked over to see Emori talking quietly to Echo, looking concerned. Echo seemed to be reassuring her. Clarke suddenly felt shame at parading their relationship in front of her. Although Bellamy said she already knew, it still must sting to see it. Echo looked up as if she felt her gaze, and though she didn't smile, she didn't seem upset either.

The next day at lunch, Raven found Clarke as she was leaving her house and heading back to meet up with the rest of the council. She had a familiar look on her face, and Clarke recognized it as playful when Raven said, "I already spoke to your mom and Kane, and you have the afternoon off. I've got some of that sweet booze from Jolinka – you're going to invite me in and we are going to drink. And - and talk." She had oozed her usual confidence when she began, but she started looking uncomfortable when she finished. Clarke understood - things had been tense between them back on Earth. She missed how easy their friendship had been. Clarke smiled, and turned and led them in.

Raven had never been in Clarke's house, and she took time to look at the paintings while Clarke poured them generous helpings of the booze and brought them into the sitting area, setting them down on the small table. As Raven took her seat, Clarke noticed there were tears filling her eyes. She followed her gaze and saw her looking at a painting of Finn. He was standing on a rock and laughing on the first day they arrived on Earth. It was the last moment of pure joy Clarke could remember before Jasper had been hit by the spear.

"I haven't seen his face in six years," Raven whispered, not taking her eyes off the image. Finally, she turned back to Clarke. "It was hard, you know? Trying to remember everyone, and their personalities and the little things that made them _them_. I tried getting into the file database on the Arc to find ID photos, but I couldn't recover everyone's." She looked down, hesitating, and then took a big gulp of her drink. "I was able to get your file up, though."

Clarke's eyes widened in surprise. "Bellamy never told me."

"We even had a little funeral. Not for everyone, just for you."

Clarke felt her eyes burning so she picked up her drink and gulped down some of the sweet liquid. It was delicious, and she had to stop herself from finishing it off. When she turned back to her friend, she found her staring at her intently. "Clarke, I'm sorry. I never told you how happy I am that you made it. I think a part of me always hoped. Everything that happened back on Earth was such bullshit. We both fucked up, but we need to get over that."

"I'm sorry too, Raven. You don't know how much," Clarke reached out and grabbed her hand, her tears beginning to fall.

"I missed you so much up there. I know, Bellamy has dibs on who missed you the most, but we all did," she said, smiling, and Clarke let out a wet chuckle. "It was hard, watching him change without you. It was like a piece of him had stayed down here with you," Raven finished in a whisper.

Clarke moved over and squished in next to Raven on her oversized chair. Raven seemed much more accustomed to physical closeness since she came back, and she didn't mind, putting her arm around Clarke's waist and pulling her close.

"Clarke, I don't know how much Bellamy told you about our time on the Arc, but the first few months were _bad_. I don't want you thinking we were all up there without you, perfectly fine. We were, after time. We had to be. But for a while, it was like we were living in a daze. Bellamy and I tried to be strong, for you, but at night I could hear him. He was pacing the halls, constantly. Not sleeping. I would find him at the lookout, staring down at the burning Earth." Clarke began crying in earnest, but Raven kept going. "One night, he woke up from a nightmare yelling. I went to him, and he could only say 'I never told her,'" Raven smiled, and gripped Clarke's hand. "I assume he's told you, now."

"Oh god, Raven. I wish you guys didn't have to go through that."

"You don't have to apologize. We, at least, had each other. You were completely alone, besides a kid who you took in and raised."

"I told Madi all those stories about you guys for me, too. They kept you fresh in my memory, and close, somehow. Even though you weren't with me really, you still kind of were."

They continued like that, exchanging stories about how they had made it through the last six years, until the booze finally took effect and they both fell into a deep sleep, curled up together on the chair.

Bellamy found them a few hours later when he came in to get Clarke for dinner. Madi had been at her lessons all afternoon and was currently eating with Abbey and looking mildly uncomfortable, but still eager to get to know her.

The sight of two of the toughest women he knew passed out drunk and cuddling brought an instant smile to Bellamy's face. He didn't want to wake them, so he went back and enlisted Shaw to help him pack up some food for them, and he left them a note telling them to come to Bellamy's house for their dinner.

Bellamy and Shaw had become quick friends, and they played a few card games while they waited. Before long Clarke and Raven knocked and let themselves in, looking rumpled and still slightly out of it. "Don't let me drink ever again, Bell," Clarke grumbled as she sunk down next to him on his couch. Bellamy only chuckled, planted a kiss on her cheek, and went to the kitchen to heat up the food. He came back with two plates, and Raven and Clarke both grabbed them and eagerly began eating. The food made them feel instantly better. This booze seemed easier to shake than moonshine, thankfully. After dinner, the couples separated, with Raven chasing Shaw back to his house, laughing, and Bellamy and Clarke setting off hand-in-hand to collect Madi from Abbey.

They found Madi playing outside of the house Abbey and Kane had claimed, which was much grander than their small block of houses. She was making faces and doing tricks, trying to get a reaction from baby Hope, while Diyoza laughed. Jordan was there too. It was a nice scene.

Diyoza took in the sight of Bellamy and Clarke and didn't even blink an eye. Abbey and Kane came out to greet them, and although they didn't say anything, Abbey whispered in Clarke's ear when she hugged her goodbye, "You look so happy, Clarke."


End file.
